1,721,079 research outputs found
Implementing environmental management systems in a cluster of municipalities: a case study
No full textLocal authorities are showing an increasing interest in implementing Environmental Management Systems (EMS) according to ISO 14001/EMAS as a tool for better dealing with their environmental issues. However, to improve the status of an environmental component or the efficiency of an environmental service often exceeds the boundaries and the competences of a single municipality; furthermore EMS implementation can require significant human and financial resources which could not be faced by small organizations. In order to cope with the above problems a methodology for implementing an EMS in a cluster of municipalities is presented, with the aim of exploiting the possible synergies for sharing knowledge and resources and creating scaleeconomies to better deal with the environmental issues of the whole territory, both at cluster and at single municipality level. The proposed method was tested in a cluster of 33 small municipalities located in NW Italy, leading to the ISO 14001/EMAS certification of each organization. In this study the main methodological steps for implementing the proposed cluster approach and some significant outcomes of its application in the case study are presented
The Use of River Water and the Protection of Fluvial Ecosystems: Current Scenario and Future Trends in Piedmont Region (Italy)
No full textDespite the large number of existing and proposed sites for river water abstraction the awareness about their environmental impacts has only recently raised in the Italian legislative framework and the release of the minimum vital flow is now going to be introduced as compulsory also for existing dams and weirs. The alteration of the hydraulic regimen with consequent modifications in river morphology, water quality, riparian vegetation, etc., and the interruption of the river continuity significantly influence the fluvial ecosystems and especially fish populations. The species characteristic of the Alpine streams (Northern Italy) are mainly potamodromous and do not have a significant economical value, except for some interested by sportfishing (Salmo trutta trutta, Salmo trutta marmoratus, Thymallus thymallus): also for this reason fish passes are uncommon and compensatory (e.g. periodical restocking) rather than mitigatory measures are applied. In this paper the current scenario and the new trends and policies in Piedmont Region (North-Western Italy) concerning the sustainable and compatible balance between the use of water resources and the protection of fluvial ecosystems are presente
Environmental Management Systems in Local Authorities: the Case Study of the Cesana Torinese Municipality, a Turin 2006 Olympic Site
No full textEnvironmental certification according to the ISO 14001 standard and EMAS regulation represents an efficient tool for those organizations who want to continuously improve their environmental performances. Even though first thought up for application to the industrial section, in recent years these schemes have also proved to be valid in organizations with territorial competences, such as local authorities. The case study of the Cesana Torinese municipality, an important ski resort in North West Italy involved in the Turin 2006 Winter Olympic Games, which was one of the first local authorities in Italy and in Europe to apply these schemes, is presented in this paper. In particular, the paper is focused on the method used for the implementation of the scheme and on the main results obtained throughout on the territory, in terms of sustainable tourism, reduction in energy consumption and CO2 emissions, but also in terms of improvement in the quality of life of the citizens, integrating environmental aspects with social accountability. At the same time, the ability of the management scheme to respond to relevant modifications of the environmental scenario, such as the designation of the area as one of the competition sites for the Turin 2006 Winter Olympic Games, is highlighte
Environmental Management Systems in Local Authorities: the Case Study of the Cesana Torinese Municipality, a Turin 2006 Olympic Site
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Environmental reporting in the hydropower sector: analysis of EMAS registered hydropower companies in Italy
Full text linkHydropower (HP) is a key source of renewable energy, but also poses significant
environmental challenges, including habitat fragmentation, hydropeaking and
perturbations of flow and sediment regime. This study analyzed how Italian
companies managing HP plants, and registered to the European Eco-
Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) in 2022, evaluated their sustainability
and publicly disclosed related data. The analysis was based on the environmental
statements (ESs) of 206 hydropower plants (29% of Italian HP production in 2019).
The applied methodology involved an inventory of the plants and their
categorization about technical features and the reporting of technical,
environmental, and social aspects. The results of the analysis revealed that the
companies rarely described the environmental state of the site, even less
frequently adopting quantitative indicators. “Soil contamination”, “biodiversity”,
“waste production”, “risk of environmental accidents”, “water pollution and flow
management”, and “noise emissions” were the aspects considered most
significant. No correlation was found among the significance of an aspect, the
number of indicators used to describe the associated impacts, and the number of
objectives set for reducing those impacts. “Biodiversity” was mostly described
through irrelevant indicators (i.e., total site area) and 76% of the allocated budget
was assigned to technical aspects without a clear connection with any
environmental improvement. In particular, the specific impacts on the aquatic
ecosystems were scarcely reported, mitigation measures were rarely mentioned
and with few details. In conclusion, the results of the study highlight the need for
specific guidelines, directed to the HP sector, for effectively reporting the
environmental performances and the effectiveness of the adopted
Environmental Management Systems, while providing valuable information to
policymakers and researchers
Small catchments environmental flows assessment at regional scale: the case study of Piedmont Region (NW Italy)
No full textDefining environmental flows requirements at regional scale by using meso-scale habitat models and catchments classification
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